Yellow Bird Country

Well we got done Brenda's mission in Vegas and headed south for a old favourite spot near Bouse, Arizona. Along the way we crossed through California for a short distance and caught this train headed for the coast.

It was pulling hard on an uphill grade and within 10 miles we passed two more hot on his tracks, literally.

We ran down through Lake Havasu, and stopped in Parker to pick up a few things and then we were off to the desert for a little down time before we head the rest of the way into Dogpound South. As I said this is maybe our favourite spot to decompress and get away from the rat race. Our solar panels keep us in power and we have a new WeBoost system for our cell phones so we might even have decent internet, although the country around here is pretty nice and we don't have much time for the internet anyway. Today we took a couple of runs on the Can-Am and saw some of the country, even passed through this high security gate with a keypad to open and shut it.

That was on our trip to the dump to get rid of our garbage, and then we headed around the mountain for a short ride. The desert is a beautiful spot and we enjoy seeing it in all its wonder.

Had a little excitement back at Dogpound North today, I won't bore you with the snow pictures but my Thermostat sent me an email about 4:30AM this morning to tell me we had a low temp situation going on back there, so I had a peak at the camera in the Furnace Room as sure as shooting the pilot light had gone out. I waited a while and then caught Matt on his way to work and he ran in and relite it for me so we have heat on the Northern Ranges as of this writing, but our furnace guy is headed there in the morning to give it the once over anyway, and probably replace the thermocouple as a little preventative maintenance.

It is a beautiful night in the desert tonight and thanks to WeBoost we are able to write this blog as Live Writer doesn't work so well in the Mac Ecosystem and it has to be done online.

One last shot of the moon tonight off our dining deck.

#VegasStrong

I said yesterday Brenda had a mission in Vegas, we headed in today, got set up in the Las Vegas RV Resort and then headed off to complete that mission. A few weeks ago she watched a news story about the massacre on October 1. She saw some fellow had made memorial crosses for all 58 victims of this modern day massacre and each one had an American flag on it. Four of the folks shot down that night were Canadians so she wanted to make sure that was recognized. Today we visited the site and she put Canadian Flags on those four folks crosses. Jordan McIldoon, Jessica Klymchuk, Calla Medig, and Tara Roe Rest in Peace and know that those of us north of Medicine Line are remembering you.

On the Road

We spent Thursday and part of Friday hauling stuff out to the rig and packing it away, loading things for our southern migration. About noon we figured we had enough stuff to keep us from blowing away in the wind so we fired up the truck and headed out. The plan is to do something we haven't ever tried before and just wander our way south, taking it easy. Our first stop was going to be somewhere around the border, Milk River or Shelby, but we didn't actually find a decent spot to pull off until pretty Dutton, Mt. There is a good little Rest Area just north of there that is quite a way off the road and makes a good place for a "rest". And a great spot for the dogs to get out and do a little exploring.

We got a good nights sleep and Saturday morning around 9 we got on the road, I told you it was going to be different, in the past we would have already been 4 or 5 hours down the road by that time. Just a while down the road we pulled into Great Falls and filled the Ford, and then headed into Denny's to fill our own tanks. Brenda had her favourite Chicken Fried Steak with white gravy and I tried something new called Sticky Bun Pancakes. They were Pecan Pancakes dressed with some sauce off of Sticky Buns and holy smokes they were good, fattening, and not healthy, but oh so good. After a leisurely breakfast we headed back out onto the highway. Our plan was to head for southern Montana and called it a day south of Dillon, at the Clark Canyon Reservoir. There are a few spots to camp there, we chose Horse Prairie and it was sure a hidden gem. Rumour has it that it can be windy in that valley but it was dead calm the whole time we were there.

A pano the lake from our spot, probably 6 or 8 images stitched together

Sticking with our theme of taking it easy we hooked up about 9 and got on the road soon after. Today we had a big day planned, about 5 1/2 hours on the road, Seems strange wandering along, hooking up in the daylight and setting up in the same, not my usual way of heading south, but usually I am racing to get to DPS to meet Brenda coming on the airplane, but this time she is traveling with me and long days and her CRPS don't fit well together. We stopped for the night at Cabela's in Lehi. We have pulled in here before both with and without the horses, they had corrals here for them but those have been removed so it is not a horse stopping spot anymore. We did slip into the store and pay the rent though with a few purchases.

This morning we got on the road about 9ish and headed south again, it was a nice driving day and we slipped down the Virgin River Gorge and pulled into our regular stopping place at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Logandale, Nevada. This is a great spot for those hauling horses, nice pens, some covered stalls and even an internet connection that works pretty well. We always throw some money in the honour box as even though we don't haul horses anymore we do use the internet and the power that is available. This a well kept place and I was a little disappointed to see that some folks don't appreciate it, looked like at least two trailers had been here recently and cleaned themselves out in the parking lot. There are great spots here for doing just that but these goofs just pushed it out the back onto the parking lot. I worked off my dinner shovelling a couple of idiots manure and shavings and piling it in the proper place if we don't look after these places they will not welcome transient horse folk anymore. And you just know that people that do that probably didn't put anything in the box either.

Logandale Sunset

Tomorrow we are heading for Vegas, Brenda has a mission in mind so we will have a short, 60 minute, drive day and get that job done.

Hey look at that two entries, one month.

Getting Ready

Well despite my good intentions here it is almost 2 and 1/2 months since my last journal entry. When last I wrote we were heading to Vancouver Island to visit our good friends John and Gina, and planning on visiting with Renè and Jeanette along the way. All that went according to Hoyle and we had a great visit with them all. We went to dinner at Fort Langley with Renè and Jeanette and then once we were back at their place we headed over towards the ferry terminal. We originally planned to just roll up to the locked gates and spend the night right there, but along the way we came across a Bass Pro Shop in Twassen and decided that looked like a better spot to hole up for the night. We were on the early ferry the

She fits and didn't actually take up the whole ferry

next morning so were pulling into John & Gina place around 9ish. Our rig was a tight fit, but with some help from our new neighbours, and rolling across their lawns we made it into our spot at the Resort on the Lake near Westwood Lake. It is a nice place with friendly folks and some great walking trails that Maya and Max just loved down by the lake.

We spent a great ten days hanging out here, picked a few berries, told a few stories, shared some laughs and met Brenda's long time online friend Angela and her husband Don, RV'ers who spend their summers on the Island and their winters in Arizona.

Then it was back to Dogpound North, but first we had to navigate the forest fires that BC has had going on all summer.

Fires along the Trans-Canada Highway just east of the Rogers Pass

I snuck out one day to see our nephew riding a bull up at Sundre. It was a learning experience for Justin as just after this shot the bull won the battle and drug him around the arena a bit before he got loose.

Early September is birthday time for the Tomasir kids so we headed in to spend a little time with Kash and Everly at their birthday bash. A good time was had by all and Grandma got some snuggles in, tell the truth so did I but there were no camera's spying on me.

Kash and Grandma

Everly and Grandma

 The rest of September was taken up just fiddling around here at Dogpound North, got a little road work done, fill in some sunken spots around our fire pit and closed up the big burning pit we used to get rid of our old barn. Then it was time to take our rig up to Allandale to get a few warranty things looked after. One of our solar panels must have taken a direct hit from a meteorite or something as it was shattered, so that was replaced under warranty as well. Allandale did a pretty good job, but Heartland the manufacturer of our Road Warrior is pretty slow getting parts out to their dealers so it was there a lot longer than was the plan.

Dry Island Provincial Park along the Red Deer River

Last weekend Lacey and Clayton brought the girls down to have one last visit with us before we head south for the winter so it was great to see them one last time as well.

Alle

Ella and Alle monkeying around

We got the rig back today and other than the 50 mph winds that blew me home from Red Deer that went well. Tomorrow we start loading it for our southern migration, so we are hoping to be south of the Medicine Line and looking for warmer climes pretty soon.

Sunset over Dogpound North last night

Where the Heck Did They Go?

April 25th, an auspicious day, our daughter Lacey and her Alle both call that their birthday and it is also the day I last posted a blog. I am reluctant to spend a lot of time on the mundane goings-on in our lives, let it suffice to say that we have been to dentists, doctors and shopping a bunch of times over the last 4 months. Didn't drink coffee on any mornings and very rarely read the newspaper, but we have kept up on everyone's goings on with the internet. We have been out camping a few times, once with Lacey et al and then by ourselves, both times to the Bighorn Dam where I can run around with side by side and the living is easy.

Abraham Lake on the North Saskatchewan River

Abraham Lake

Company comes to Brenda's Morning Tea Fire.

I did get an opportunity to run in and see Annika, our granddaughter at her Spring Concert, she attends the school her Dad started teaching at 21 years ago, and the Director of her Band was a student of her fathers I think. Time sure flys by.

Annika's Spring Concert

 Then in June there was a gathering at Dogpound North for my birthday, a complete surprise for me but these beauties spent the night, all worn out from the partying.

Sleeping beauties at Grandpa's Birthday Bash

 July in Calgary is Stampede time and if there is a cowboy on the planet who wouldn't like to ride at the ride Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth I haven't met or even heard of him/her but this one is special one this is Justin James, the son of Derek who gave Brenda away at our wedding.

Justin James Calgary Stampede debut

 And Stampede is Band Time also, here is my grandson, Lucas, playing at McMahon Stadium.

Lucas at McMahon Stadium with the Calgary Stetsons Show Band

 And just to keep things hopping July is also haying time in our country, it was good to see it all put up and covered with tarps with nary a rain drop on it, and I just heard today that it is all sold.

Dogpound North's haying is done, all sold too, I heard today.

 We have a couple of hummingbird feeders here at DPN, but this guy likes his organic grub. These little guys keep me entertained most evening watching the aerial dogfighting going on. I have taken hundreds of pictures but they have so far avoided me capturing any mid-air collisions.

Mid-Air Refueling

Now we are getting up to today, this was a log marshalling yard just upstream from Revelstoke. We found a great spot to boondock there as we meander our way towards the coast. Tonight we are in Merritt, BC, and tomorrow we plan on stopping on at Renè and Jeanette's before camping out at the Twassan Ferry Terminal so that we can catch the early Sunday morning ferry to the Island. I expect with a total length on our rig of right around 63' we will almost single-handedly put BC Ferries in the black this quarter.

Loading Log Trucks at Revelstoke Dam

Good morning view from our Boondocking site at the Dam Site

Well I won't make any promises but maybe, just maybe I will get another one of these journal entries done before Christmas time. Thanks for stopping by.

Time Fly's By

Last time I wrote we  had just returned from a trip to the desert with our new rig. It worked fine but the lack of solar capabilities meant we ran our generator much more than we liked. We'll work on that.

I spent a lot of March working around the yard at DPS, getting the irrigation system set up for the summer and hauling granite to fill holes and patch up the tree wells. That and spraying the weeds. The weather has been pretty hot so I like to get all that done early in the morning and then head off to the pool for my swim. I have been making it over there 5, sometimes 6 days a week. That takes me through to lunch and then I pretty much just hang out in the shade for the afternoon.

A few days I have taken Blue II for some spins in the desert, trying to connect a few trails I have seen out there and do a little photography along the way.

Always like the desert wildflowers

And some Arizona Wildies

Brenda and her CRPS don't get along very well in the heat so she has been pretty much housebound for the last while and then March 16th she headed back to Canada. She needed to get some dental work done and if you are going to be forced to stay in the house you might as well sit by a furnace as an air conditioner.

Once she had headed home I started slowly putting things away, clearing the deck off and storing all the outside stuff inside for the summer. There was no rush but I figured I would work my way north in time to be home for our daughter Rebecca's birthday with a stop for a day or two out on Yellow Bird Drive.

 Max, Maya, and I got loaded up and after one last swim we left DPS for Bouse on the 23rd. We spent two nights there enjoying the warm night temps and the peace and quiet before heading out early Saturday morning for the road north.

One last desert campfire and star shot before heading North

The first night we stopped at the Cabella's just south of Salt Lake City, in Lehi, Utah. A little bird on Facebook told me that my Sister-in-Law, Tricia, and her kids Chris and Remi were heading south so after a little negotiating we planned a breakfast meeting in Pocatello, Idaho. Always great to see those folks and especially in a different place. After a quick breakfast we both got back on the road, me for Canada, then for points south. I stopped at Costco in Helena to pick up some butter and then made a run for the Medicine Line. That night I stayed at a rest area between Lethbridge and Milk River, as I had a plan to have breakfast with an old friend the next morning in Nanton.

For a travel day, I slept in as I couldn't get Van out for breakfast much before 7AM and I was only an hour and a half away. We had a great visit, solved most of the worlds issues, reviewed all the problems that had surfaced in the energy business since we both retired and then it was back on the road for me. A couple of hours later I was back at Dogpound North.

It took a day or so to get the rig unpacked and everything hauled into the house, and then another couple of days for Brenda to put it all away.

But before that was all done we headed into the city to meet Bec, Ved, and the kids for lunch at our favourite Chinese spot. Great food and even better company.

For the last couple of years I have been bugged by a leg problem that I thought might be sciatica so I have tried exercises, chiropractors, and my own family doc with no relief. I had an appointment with a Neurologist set up so I went in and he poked prodded, electrified me and decided that it might not be sciatica but he didn't know what it might be. He told me take a little magnesium and hopefully that would resolve the issue. Who knows worth a try.

With the rig parked for spring, my doctors appointment behind me, it was time to tackle a couple of clean-up jobs that had been waiting awhile. First I need to muck out the barn and haul a bunch of junk to the garbage. Then the big job, the Quonset hut. It had been collecting stuff for ten or twelve years and I decided if I was the only one who had any idea what something was or where it came from if I didn't want it, it was gone. That made for three dumpsters full of stuff, and a full truck full of metal junk to the dump. And a lot of reorganising to boot.

Those jobs took the best part of a week, but luckily the week was pretty nice weather so it was an OK job.

I had a chance to run in to the University and see my grandson Lucas's team compete in the Western Regional Finals for Robotics. Kind of a cool sport/tech game where the teams build robots and have to complete pretty difficult tasks while competing against another team whose robots need to do the same thing and are at the same time trying to mess up your plan.

Luc's team on the far side almost out of site.

Remember back at the beginning of this journal entry I said we needed some solar capability, well, it was time and I took the rig to Red Deer and dropped it off to get that installed. I won't bore you with all the issues that started but we ended up with 464AH of Battery capacity,  and 400 Watts of Solar capacity on the roof all supplying power to a 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter. That hopefully will allow us to do what we want to do without using the generator to much.

While the rig was getting it's solar equipment installed I took my F450 to the shop to get a manifold bolt replaced, all under warranty, and they even supplied me with a brand spanking new pickup to drive while it was in there. So I did a bunch of driving and took a bunch of photos while I was wearing out someone else's wheels.

Oil Train heading through Cochrane

A train full of oil heading to the West Coast

And yet another oil train heading out of Central Alberta likely for the West Coast

Oh, we do export some things other than oil, although the train was mostly oil tankers there were a few grain cars in the middle.

That meant a trip out to Morants Curve to catch an oil train or two heading for BC, a visit with Kim Johnson in Canmore, and then a trip out through the old Burnt Timber field and a drive up the Foresty Trunk Road to check on the wild horses.

Wildies

Wildie Foal

Mom and Babe

The last week has been a little snowy and cool but there have been some great opportunities for catching some northern lights action. Here are a couple of images and a video from two different nights of chasing the Aurora.

Night #1 at Twisty Slough

Night #2 at Dogpound North

I am not sure this video will work but here's hoping. Make sure you hit the box in the right bottom corner and make it full screen.

Today is also a big day, both Alle and her mother Lacey share today as their birthday. Alle had a birthday party over the weekend at a local swimming pool so I ran up to Rocky for that event.

Two little girls mother and daughter, same birthday.

Spring is over here and I must have slept through summer cause it appears we have headed right back into winter with no warning.

A little snow this morning.

There and Back and Again

Since our last entry I have put some serious miles on and seen some country, some a repeat and some a little whiter than I like it this time of year. Our last trip out to Bouse was so much fun and seemed to reconnect us with the reason we started RV'ing in the first place. Our LQ was not as comfortable as we would like for a boondocking rig so that got us thinking about a change. Like usual, with me, change happens in a hurry. We found a rig we thought we would like and it just so happens that the dealer we bought the LQ from had one arriving in the next day or two. We made a deal and all that had to be done was the final walk throughs of both our trade and the new toy hauler. I figured we should fly up and have a look at it, but Brenda wasn't up for another flight at this point, so she put her faith in me. Not entirely wisely as it turns out.

Here she (DPA) is in her natural habitat outside Bouse, Arizona

 The new outfit is nice, but as always there are a lot of things that will need to be changed to make it perfect and acceptable as our new Dogpound Anywhere (DPA). From my point of view it needs more batteries, an inverter and some solar capabilities all things we knew going in, surprisingly there are no 12V power points at all, and the water pump sounds like it is being powered by a Harley Davidson engine, so those issues will have to be dealt with. As for things Brenda looks for, it has great storage for clothes, but not so great for dry goods. And not a towel rack or toilet paper hanger in sight so those will have to be added. The fridge seems adequate though. It has a fancy new Furrion Oven and it, at least on our trial run, had issues keeping a constant temperature and it has a fan that runs the whole time the oven is on, so that will take some getting used to.

There is a deck out back that makes getting outdoors pretty easy, but the garage floor, is well a garage floor and we will probably need to fit a carpet to that to make it more easily cleaned.

After a few days of commissioning at DPS we headed for our favourite spot out near Bouse for a shakedown cruise. As usual in the desert these little fellers were around looking to see if we had a handout for them. Sadly we didn't but that didn't seem to discourage them from hanging out with us.

In flight and hard to track

Sunrise over the desert

Unlike most times in the desert, this time we got company. Kim Johnson an old colleague from my working days and his wife Wendy were on a trial run with their motorhome, seeing what all this sunbelt stuff was about and we managed to convince them to stop overnight with us in the desert. Great folks and a lot of fun, so we are hopeful we will see them again before they head back into the Great White North.

Sometimes it the eastern skies that make the best display at Sunset

We are back at DPS now and working on killing weeds, washing the rigs and getting a few other things done here so that we are free to wander if the mood catches us. The last couple of days have been cool and windy so not much getting done on that front, but I have managed to get a couple of swims in anyway.